This was sent in this week with a note asking about the font used…any type nerds want to give this a shot?

If it weren’t for the O’s I’d say it’s Futura Demi bold

century gothic?

Looks like Gill Sans MT, with wide tracking?

Century gothic? Twentieth Century?

The R isn’t right for futura, the M isn’t right for Fill Sans.

I’m the one who submitted this. Thanks for your thoughts. All these are close, but definite differences. The closest seems Gill Sans MT, except for the very different M and R …. but I’ve got the original (actually, a whole pile of them) so I have an advantage. A bigger question: does anyone know where there might be a repository of fonts and design used by the feds (or other Canadian govts) historically? I find lots of old paper in old abandoned boats and buildings on the BC coast, where I found this. And it’s really hard to match the fonts to anything I know (though that isn’t much). Thanks for your help.

Looks kinda like Syntax to me at a glance.

what a mystery…

Problem is, it isn’t a digital typeface. Would have been a lead original (probably not even phototypeset).

I believe this is Metrolite No. 2 from Mergenthaler Linotype. Linotype was a very common hot metal system throughout the twentieth century and most major cities in North America had a least one Linotype shop. It is quite likely that some of your other documents would have also been set on Linotype equipment. Metro was originally designed by W. A. Dwiggins in 1930 for Linotype and was their answer to the popular European sans like Futura and Gill Sans. In 1932 several characters in the Metro series were redesigned and it was re-released as Metro No. 2. Hope this helps Rod

Absolutely Metrolite No. 2, of which there is a digital equivalent: <http://www.linotype.com/1229/Metrolite2-family.html>

This is fabulous. It’s so Metrolite. Thanks huge bunches for the info and the link, and the guesses too.